EngRegional
Tshisekedi’s Wazalendo on mission to murder civilians
Hundreds thousands of Congolese youth have been calling themselves "Wazalendo [nationalists]" while persecuting Congolese Tutsi, under Tshisekedi's watch.
An
escalation of Wazalendo’s cruelty in eastern DRC has reached the point of no
return. Shockingly, Kinshasa supports the barbarity of Wazalendo militia.
The
militia was created in November 2022, by Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi
when he rallied young Congolese men and women to organize themselves into
‘vigilance groups’, to support the country’s forces, in a mission to defend the
country from its enemies, specifically the M23 rebels.
However,
since Wazalendo’s creation, the war-weary people of DRC, particularly
Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese have never got any brief respite. They have been
persecuted, kidnapped, got their properties and cattle looted, houses burnt,
killed and eaten on the day light by Wazalendo supported by Congolese
government forces.
High
tensions were experienced on July 17, in Turunga, a village located on the
northern outskirts of the city of Goma, in the territory of Nyiragongo, North
Kivu, where civilians are living in a climate of fear of Wazalendo.
According
to several reports the angry population were demonstrating against the shooting
carried out during the night of July 16 to July 17, when a whole family was
wiped out by Wazalendo militia. They were a father, his wife and children. The
attack saw other 10 people severely injured.
People
in Goma have been engulfed by violence. Every night there is the crackle of
bullets, and even during the day, people are killed. People's property is
stolen and armed men confirmed to be Wazalendo are moving around, committing
crimes.
While
the areas under M23 rebels are safe and secure, Kinshasa utilises Wazalendo
proxies to commit crimes in the areas under the rebels for Kinshasa to distort
rebel’s image, portraying them as “terrorists”.
On
numerous occasions, with Tshisekedi’s knowledge, Wazalendo violated different
ceasefires that agreed between the government forces and the M23 rebels.
Kinshasa
has never stopped to justify Wazalendo’s cruelty. “When compatriots [Wazalendo]
defend the homeland you cannot say that they are negative forces,” said
Congolese Communication Minister Patrick Muyaya.
While
Kinshasa continues to legitimize Wazalendo’s existence, Congolese citizens have
had enough of the Wazalendo. Congolese citizen who were demonstrating in
Turunga vowed to find their way to end the Wazalendo’s violence if the
government keeps supporting wazalendo instead of stopping their violence upon
civilians.
According
to the latest UN group of Experts on DRC report, the official use of the
Wazalendo armed group by the DRC government resulted into armed groups
operating with impunity across the eastern part of the country.
The UN
report reveals how DRC’s authorization and support of the Wazalendo armed group
to fight the M23 resulted in armed groups across eastern DRC calling themselves
Wazalendo to legitimize their existence and criminal activities.
Kinshasa
has been using negative armed militias grouped in Wazalendo and the FDLR as
proxies in the fight against the M23 rebels.
Nearly
all negative forces operating in eastern DRC have gained the legitimacy for
their operation and criminal activities, pretending to help DRC government
forces to fight M23 rebel group while they are persecuting civilians.
Congolese
people continue to suffer from the barbarity of a cocktail of armed militias
while their government is watching, while equally contributing to the
massacres.
Kinshasa opted for war instead of political dialogue which is believed to be a hope-giving durable solution which can bring long lasting peace to eastern DRC and in the region. Tshisekedi can end the DRC crisis in the blink of an eye if he wanted to.
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